Welcome to the new year, fellow garden enthusiasts! As we step into a fresh chapter, it's that awesome time of the year when we get to kick back, take a deep breath, and revel in the beautiful results of our hard work in the garden. However, hold on to your gardening gloves because, in saying this, there is still much more to be achieved in the summer garden. Let's dive into the green adventure that awaits us!
Now is the time to plant french beans and climbing beans, capsicum, celery, cress, cucumber, eggplant (advanced plants), leek, lettuce, spring onion, sweet corn, parsley, spinach, pumpkin and its the last chance to plant sweet potato runners which require a minmum 120 days to develop tubers. It is also time to sow brassica, radish, parsnip, swede, silverbeet and turnip
Your earlier plantings of tomatoes will be starting to show the fruits of your labour. Once fruit has begun to set get cracking with a fertiliser enriched with potassium sulphate to ensure plentiful crops with some added disease resistance.
Both sweetcorn and tomatoes are likely to be looking top heavy, so (if you haven't already) make sure you have adequate support for your plants and consider the benefit of an application of pea straw or sugar cane mulch to maintain ideal growth conditions.
- Treat gardens, pots and hanging baskets with a plant and soil conditioner such as Seasol Wetter & conditioner. This will help your plants cope with extreme summer conditions
- Applying a water retention granule such as Saturaid to your soil or lawn can reduce water use by up to 50%. This will save on the water and make efficient use of the natural resource of summer rains.
- Water Smart! It’s best to water first thing in the morning, to give your soil a chance to absorb the moisture before it gets too hot.
- Top up your gardens with mulch, it looks great and helps with water retention.
- Raise mower blades and avoid scalping your lawn. Scalping your lawn will encourage weeds to take hold and reduce the foliage protection to soil. Short grass effectively results in shallow lawn roots and grass with poor disease resistance.
- Spray roses to control black spot and pick up fallen leaves around your roses. If you notice powdery mildew on your roses this can be controlled by spraying with 1 part full cream milk to 5 parts water
- Watch out for unwanted pests such as aphids and thrips and spray with horticultural oil
- Dead head and fertilise flowering plants such as roses, fuchsias and geraniums.
- Harvest summer veggies regularly so they continue produce more crops.
As we bask in the warmth of an Australian summer, let's take a moment to appreciate the fruits of our labor and the vibrant summer perfumes that adorn our gardens. The sun is shining, the air is filled with the delightful hum of nature, and our gardens are thriving in the peak of their summer splendor.